Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can We Guess What Decade You Were Born In?

Olivia Cantor

Image: Colonel / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Each generation has its own specialization when it comes to many things. Innovations, wold events, monumental changes in the universe, great achievements in human history and development, you name it, every decade has its fair share of these things to bullet point in their outline. So what about yours?

Sometimes, we can go by these huge and humongous facts and figures to determine just where you belong in the bigger scheme of things. Sure, we can mention an important event or two that everyone around the globe knows. But isn't it better to use smaller snippets of life that you grew up with, and then see how these snippets resonate with the bigger picture? And that bigger picture features you, front and center!

Do you still remember what you played when you were growing up? Do you remember favorite toys, favorite playthings, or favorite snacks and candies? Yep, we all got them! It's interesting to compare and contrast these things as the decades rolled by. We're sure that each generation has their collective faves, and they all have collective dislikes as well. It's a growing up thing, for sure.

So, let's see if we can at least estimate the decade you were born in, by answering the clues we provide. Shall we? We shall!

Did your whole family watch "Star Wars" on the big screen?

Yes! We were all there! It was sooo cool!

No, I missed that.

Nah, but I saw the first of the prequel trilogies, "Phantom Menace," with my family.

Um, I saw that on DVD…

Did you ask for a brand new Game Boy for Christmas?

What’s that? I only had the View-Master to play with…

Yes! That’s all I ever wanted back then! Mine had a black and white screen.

Well yeah, mine had color screen!

I got a PSP…

Did you own a purple Barney stuff toy?

What’s that? I got a Mr. Potato Head!

I had a Garfield stuff toy!

Yep! I can recall that toy being very prominent in my crib.

Who’s that? I had Pikachu and some other Pokemon.

Did you gorge on Planters Cheez Balls or Cheez Curls?

We were given Twinkies, and that’s great enough!

Both! Loved those snacks in a can.

We had 3D Doritos! It was cool!

We liked those pretzel sticks better.

Did your parents let you watch a new educational TV show called "Sesame Street?"

Yep! That was such a fun show, and very educational. I loved the songs! And the puppets!

My older siblings made me watch it because they also watched it when they were young.

It’s a family favorite, but I got more distracted by other shows on our cable.

Not really. My parents said that they watched that when they were kids.

Did you also wear Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" video costume on Halloween?

No videos of Michael yet, back then

Yup! I also know the dance moves!

I liked his costume on "Remember The Time" better, so that’s what I wore!

Well, any MJ costume I wore was part of vintage wardrobe already, so I wore them all!

Did someone teach you how to dance the "Macarena?"

We were doing the boogie back then!

I think it was the "Rico Mambo" they were making me dance to.

Can’t escape it. Everybody was dancing it at that time, like all the time!

Well, everyone was dancing to "Asereje" that time, you know, "The Ketchup Song."

Did someone teach you how to surf the web before you turned 10?

We played with spiders and cobwebs! Is that the same thing?

We were sidewalk surfing with skateboards back then! Even better.

Surfing waves was more like it! Whenever we got the chance to be on the water, that is.

Yep! My family had a desktop computer, and we all used it.

Did your older brother fancy himself as The Fonz when you were little?

He sure did! He was talking like the Fonz all the time!

Who’s that?

What’s a Fonz?

Did that Fonz thing become retro now?

Were you able to watch the Space Shuttle Challenger explode on TV?

That didn’t happen yet when I was young.

Yeah, that was really so scary! But I still dreamt of being an astronaut that time.

I only saw that on videotape at school, I think.

Not the Challenger, but I saw Space Shuttle Columbia explode when I was very young! So sad!

Did your mom scold you for listening to Britney Spears songs since you’re way too young to know what she’s talking about?

Who’s Britney Spears?

Not her, but Madonna! Yup, Mom got mad!

Sometimes, but I still listened anyway! Love Britney!

I’m more of a Hannah Montana fan. Miley Cyrus!

Did you play Tag! You’re It! outside with the neighborhood kids?

Yep! We played that all the time.

We preferred playing hopscotch.

I played basketball and baseball more.

Nah, we were mostly indoors playing video games.

Did you have your own Atari at home or did you play video games at the arcade?

Both! We played at the arcade first, until my parents bought me an Atari, woohoo!

Sometimes we went to the arcade, but my mom started to buy me those early handheld gaming consoles, so that was cool.

I think we were using a Nintendo already when I was young.

What’s an Atari?

Did you try eating many of those Jawbreakers?

We didn’t have that yet. But we had Pez!

Oh yeah! My favorite gum, ever!

I prefer those AirHeads candies!

Do they still make those things? It sounds painful to eat!

Were your parents glued to the television when they announced that Princess Diana died in a car crash?

No news of that sort during my time.

Growing up, they were talking about how she got married to a prince.

Yeah, it was always in the news. They were really sad about it.

No, but mine were more preoccupied with watching her kids, William and Harry.

Were you able to guess the hints on "Blue’s Clues?"

Do you remember having soldier relatives being deployed in a very far land called Iraq?

I remember them coming home from the Vietnam War.

They were talking more about the Cold War.

Nah, that wasn’t an issue during our time.

Yeah, some of my aunts and uncles went to a war there or something.

Did your older brother or sister show you how to disco dance to "Stayin’ Alive" or "Dancing Queen?"

Gosh, yes! They were always disco-dancing at home!

We were busy learning how to Moonwalk! And also, doing the Robot!

We were more hooked with learning The Running Man dance move!

Well, someone was teaching me to "Crank That" with Soulja Boy when I was small.

Were you allowed to play Mario Bros or Super Mario Bros?

None of that yet when I was growing up. We played Dungeons and Dragons!

Yep! I love playing that!

Nah, we played different computer games.

I just played whatever was in our Playstation at home.

Did you roll out one of those Hubba Bubba Bubblegum tape things?

Don’t know that. But I loved Laffy Taffy!

I preferred Jelly Belly jellybeans!

Yep! I always asked my mom to buy me some.

Well, I liked the 5 Gum packaging better.

Did you travel with "Dora The Explorer," too?

No, but we went around the neighborhood riding our bikes!

No, but we always played Where’s Wally, and looked for him!

Nope, but we started to travel the information superhighway with the very first personal computers and Windows.

Yep, I love her! Backpack! Backpack!

Did you eat a lot of that Space Dust sizzling candy or Pop Rocks?

Oh geez, yes! I love their popping!

I liked Nerds better…

I preferred the Ouch! bubblegum in a tin can.

I liked the Push Up candies best!

Did you play with a brand new Nerf ball?

Oh yeah! It was fun!

Nope, I collected Garbage Pail Kids cards!

I played with lotsa Pogs!

I collected those Zhu Zhu Pets!

Did you grow up watching SpongeBob SquarePants?

Sounds like a silly name for a silly kids’ show! Is that what kids watch these days?

He didn’t exist yet back then.

We watched a lot of Disney animated movies, but nothing that sounds like that.

I love him! And Patrick, too!

Do you recall your relatives talking about an event that happened on 9/11?

They were talking about problems with the U.S. President more.

All I knew was that you dialed 911 for an emergency when I was young.

Nothing of that sort yet when I was small.

Yeah, they talked about it all the time, especially every September.

Did you eat one too many of The Reggie bars?

That was my fave candy bar back then. I love baseball!

Nah, I was snacking on Skittles.

I ate many KitKat and other stuff.

Nope, but I ate a lot of those Lunchables brownies!

Did you visit Disneyland when you were a kid?

Yeah, we went to the one in Anaheim, the original!

Yup, we went to the newly opened EPCOT Center in Florida!

Yeah, we went to see the new Disney Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World!

Yeah, we went to the newly opened California Adventure Park!

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